Broadcast

Original channel

Original run

Disney's House of Mouse is an animated television series, produced by Walt Disney Television which originally aired from 2001 to 2003. In the series, Disney mascot Mickey and his gang of famous friends run a nightclub frequented by many other animated Disney characters from throughout the company's animation history.

The series was a successor to the short-lived Mickey Mouse Works, an earlier program consisting of original cartoons featuring Mickey Mouse and friends. The majority of the cartoons featured on House of Mouse were reruns from Mickey Mouse Works, although classic theatrical cartoons as well as new Mickey Mouse Works cartoons were also regularly shown. The series was also created to commemorate and coincide with the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney's birth.

Contents

Premise

Walt Disney's famous cartoon star, Mickey Mouse and his band of friends run a night club called the "House of Mouse" in the middle of Main Street in the city of Disneyville, which shows Disney cartoons as part of its floor show. Each episode features a framing plot revolving around the comic mishaps of Mickey and the other characters running the club, often with cartoons that fit the theme of the framing plot, which are used as wraparounds for various Disney cartoons.

Many characters from Disney animated films (such as Cinderella, Aladdin, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, The Lion King,The Little Mermaid, Hercules, Sleeping Beauty, and many more) have appeared on House of Mouse, mostly as guests and attendees. The show included many relatively obscure and otherwise rarely-used characters from the Walt Disney Company's more-obscure films, often with speaking parts; however, appearances by characters from other media (such as comic books and television shows) were few and far between.

Mickey is the club's owner, while Minnie Mouse manages the finances and show production. Other House of Mouse staff members include:

A musical band consisting of Donald Duck's troublesome nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie always serve as the musical guests, with such alternating names as "The Quackstreet Boys", "The Splashing Pumpkins", and Kid Duck. Mickey's arch-rival Pete is the club's greedy landlord, who often attempts to shut the club down for his own personal gain by sabotaging the show through various means, since Mickey's contract states that the club stays open "as long as the show goes on".

A running gag throughout the 52 episodes is that Thomas O'Malley and the Alley Cats from The Aristocats are scheduled as the club's musical guests, but their act is always cancelled.

Locations

Below are areas within the club itself.

Foyer

The front hall of the club is accessible via glass double doors from the street. Here, guests may converse among themselves or with the Magic Mirror that is located just within the entrance. There is also a small lounge for guests waiting to be seated. Donald can usually be found here greeting visitors personally; often with a handshake. Daisy works at a reception desk situated just outside the restaurant/theater area, helping guests to book reservations or assist with any requests they may have. Outside, Max Goof assists visitors in parking their cars at a nearby lot owned by the club.

Restaurant / Theater

One of the busiest areas of the club, this wide, spacious area has at least thirty tables that can seat over 120 people. Given the wide variety of clientele at the club, which includes Willie the Giant and Elliott the Dragon, the amount of seating at the club could vary wildly at times. Goofy and the penguin waiters take orders and deliver various dishes, ranging from conventional to outlandish, to the guests. At the far end of the area is a stage where performances of all sorts are conducted, including that of Huey, Dewey and Louie. There is also a huge TV screen in the stage background to show cartoons. Mickey often hosts the night's events on-stage. The TV screen measures as a widescreen TV, and adjusts its screen size depending on the cartoons' aspect ratio.

Backstage

This area behind the stage is restricted only to club staff and performers hired by the club. Located here are staff offices, dressing rooms, storage rooms and an employee rest area. This area has direct access to the club's kitchen. The back entrance to the club and the door to the prop room are also located here. Minnie is often seen here using a PDA to assist in keeping the night's schedule on track or directing guest star performers to the stage.

Kitchen

All types of ingredients and cooking equipment can be found here to cater to the wide and, often, exotic palates of the club's clientele. There is also a cold storage room to store fresh meat and other perishable foods. Gus Goose works here nightly to prepare various dishes for the guests, but he sometimes eats said dishes before they reach the tables.

Control Room

From this room, located behind and above the restaurant/theater area, much of the technical equipment at the club is operated. The club's collection of cartoons is stored here as well. Through a window that overlooks the restaurant/theater area, Horace operates the lights, the loudspeakers and various record players (for example, DVD or VHS players) to show cartoons at Minnie's direction.

Prop Room

Perhaps the most interesting area of the club, the prop room consists of a cavernous basement much larger than the club itself. Props from all of Disney animation can be found here, including magical items such as Genie's Lamp and the Black Cauldron. The prop room is so large that one could get lost for days unless one took Pluto along as a guide. However, Mickey and his friends usually have little trouble navigating in the prop room.

Gallery

Trivia

Despite not appearing in the show itself (as the show was released one year before the release of their movie), Lilo and Stitch were featured in the House of Mouse online game, Pack the House.

Tarzan made an appearance in the intro to the show's official site, as well as Pack the House inspite of not appearing in the show itself, although his movie's cast was represented, as Tantor made two brief but notable appearances in the show.